If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Morningside

It was one thing when her parents spouted that nonsense, but hearing it out of yet another mouth...Magtok tries to take Missy's hand and guide her back to the nearest bench. Best to get away from that guy right now and out of earshot before he says something else stupid and horrible. Once there, he'll remain standing, give her maybe a moment or two to sulk, and then speak up.

"Hey. Missy, listen. Ignore that bull****. You're not a monster, okay? No, trust me, you're not. There are worse sinners than you who raise perfectly fine kids, okay? Maybe we can work out some sort of letter thing or something so they can screen what you say or some junk, we don't just have to give up. Okay?"

Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2012-04-07 at 06:34 PM.

"You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Originally Posted by LadyOfWar

"Well, Tsan is a little shorter, so Tsan it is." Wes says with a smile and nod. She opens her mouth to say something more, but is then distracted by:

"Good morning, Dave! Here and ready for work. Where do we start?" Westlanna looks a little different today than the day they met. She's wearing a white button-down shirt and black slacks. Her shoes, however, are less formal. They're black, so they'll pass for dress shoes at a glance, but they're actually tough work boots designed to support her feet through a long, long, loooong day.

Dave's Free Clinic"Well actually, you need to put on your uniform first. Which consists of a pair of gender neutral green scrubs and doctor's coat." he said as he presented said uniform to her."It's best because we may always have to do surgery without warning."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Originally Posted by Rebonack

[Inside Streets]

The goggles.

They do nothing.

"Mmm? You can't tell?" the man asks in a rather silky tone before gesturing at the skeleton in such a fashion that it shows off his musculature rather nicely. "The way the ribs are cut? Tore the poor child open. Ripped his soul free from his spirit. That's what Wights do. Dreadful creatures."

The man shakes his head and makes a 'Tch' sound.

"Such brutes. But he's fortunate, you know. Usually a Wight attack creates another Wight. This lad must have had some protection."

He stoops down, carefully leaning over the skeleton and sniffs at it ever so lightly.

For a moment.

The briefest of moments.

Hildur might spot four midnight blue tails lashing about behind the man. It's but a flicker. But a phantom image.

"Hmhm... Garlic. The child ate garlic shortly before the Wight attacked him. That would do it, oh yes."

Hildur can't help but step back a little at the man's (though that word doesn't strike her as appropriate,) actions and speech. The four tails however, are a dead giveaway to her, and she says, "Sir... if I may ask... what exactly are you?"

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Dave's Free Clinic]

Wes nods in reply to that as she takes the uniform. Clearly she expected to wear scrubs on the job, but came to work dressed professionally to emphasize that she is a professional, not just some random camo-wearing chick that helps guys who crash their motorcycles in the street.

"I'll go get changed and meet you back here then." she says as she heads off. Clearly she took the opportunity to look around a bit, because she has no trouble finding the employee locker room and is shortly back in her new work clothes.

She looks danged good in scrubs and a lab coat. Not everyone does you know.

Expect my character 'Wanderer' to simply vanish. Please always err on the side of continuing without me. My schedule makes my posting very rare and very patchy.

Former alias: wingrae, Wooly Winged Wonder

I'm not officially 'back', I'm just able to post on rare occasions. Expect me to go missing again

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

The creature, for surely this... this thing isn't human... narrows his eyes dangerously. "That is a very impolite question to ask, my dear," he replies.

His teeth showing ever so slightly in doing so.

"It would be wise not to ask questions like that. Not everyone would be willing to forgive you for your ignorance," the tone is... concerned? For her safety, maybe? Or it might just be feigned. "It doesn't matter, though. Mostly I'm just here for the ghost-"

He sets his gaze on Hildur, a predatory look in his eyes as he runs his tongue across his teeth. "Unless of course you could offer something else?"

The creature then reaches out to gently run one finger along the snowboarder's jawline. "Something better?"

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Morningside

It takes Missy a few minutes to get her bearings, before she looks up at Magtok and smiles. It feels good having him sticking up for her, even if that's not what she had been thinking. "It's not that. It's... I'll tell you on the way back."

Meanwhile, Mr Flores gets one of the kids to run over to Mrs Middleton's house, the nearest one to the park, and come back with a glass. He fills it up at the outdoor water fountain and carries it to Missy.

"I'm sorry, Submission-in-Adversity. I didn't mean to upset you. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Missy takes a drink. "Can you call me Missy? And just answer a few questions?"

"Of course, Missy."

"Does Halifax know he's adopted?"
"Yes. We never kept that from him."

"Does he ever..." she swallows hard. "... wonder about his birth mother?"

Mr Flores takes a seat next to her on the bench. "We told Hal that his first mommy loved him very much, but since you couldn't take care of him, you gave him to us to be his parents. He asked if he'd ever get to meet you one day, and we said if the Prophet wills. And he includes you in his prayers."

"Oh.... wow..."

"Sonja and I include you in ours as well, Missy," Mr Flores says gently.

Missy glances over at the church across the street. "Is that your church? Where you regularly go?"

"Yes."

She finishes the glass of water and hands it back to him. "Thank you for talking to me. Thank you both for being good parents to Halifax. Please, go and reassure... reassure Hal's mother... that I won't take Halifax from you. If I were in her place, I would worry about that. I just needed to see him, just once." she says.

"Blessings upon you, Missy."
"And also upon you," she answers.

He turns and heads to his home, stopping on the way to return the glass.

Missy clutches at Magtok's hand, tugging a little to get him to sit down next to her. If he does, she'll hug him tightly.

1

Vacant Lot

"Why would men rule? The sexes are not made the same. It is the natural part of woman to rule and conquer, and the natural part of man to nurture and obey." Cole says. "It must be strange for you to live in a place where that is not understood."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Erin's Emporium]

Originally Posted by LadyOfWar

"Replicated food, hmmm... " she pantomimes a 'thinking stance' with her fingers rubbing her chin and her eyes turned toward the ceiling. "...if an 89cent TV dinner and a McDonald's hamburger had a love child, it would probably be identical to 'replicated food'." She makes a face. "I'd rather just pay for something palatable."

Aeryn grins and laughs at that descrption of replifare. "I'm sure Quark would agree with you. It is rather...bleh. But still, for emergency rations, it'd have to be better than Meals Rejected by the Enemy, right?"

[Jessica's House]

"You threatenin' me!? You better leave!" is the last thing Rhyan will hear from the nosey neighbor's house.

Rhyan shakes her head and rejoins her companions!"I'm afraid that the neighbours were singularly unhelpful," she informs them. "As well as being quite speciesist."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Vacant Lot]

That reply results in a laugh from Freddy. Not a mean sort of laugh. Nor even a laugh at Cole or his story. But rather, "Please, I'm not laughing at you, sir," he says as he begins to catch his breath. "Just laughing at the whimsey of all the things this 'Nexus' place brings together. It sounds like my home is akin to yours, though with what men and women do all topsy-turvy."

Fredrick makes topsy-turvy motions with his hands!

"The men usually rule the household. Though the the Lords and Ladies are decided by the right of first-born alone. It's up to the Emperor to decide who will rule."

Yay for divine right of rule?

"Ha... it must be so strange," Freddy shakes his head in amazement. "Every time I meet someone new I hear about some odd new world so different from mine. I can scarcely keep track of them all."

He then offers a bow to Cole. "Please don't hold my upbringing against me, sir. I can see well enough that you're of a noble house and worthy of my respect. And I hope I don't offend you with tales of what must be a strange and foreign land to you."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

The creature, for surely this... this thing isn't human... narrows his eyes dangerously. "That is a very impolite question to ask, my dear," he replies.

His teeth showing ever so slightly in doing so.

"It would be wise not to ask questions like that. Not everyone would be willing to forgive you for your ignorance," the tone is... concerned? For her safety, maybe? Or it might just be feigned. "It doesn't matter, though. Mostly I'm just here for the ghost-"

He sets his gaze on Hildur, a predatory look in his eyes as he runs his tongue across his teeth. "Unless of course you could offer something else?"

The creature then reaches out to gently run one finger along the snowboarder's jawline. "Something better?"

...

Yeah.

Don't take that offer. It's a horrible idea.

Though it might be hard for the creature to see Hildur's eyes through her goggles, just about every other part of her indicates that she's absolutely terrified, as she tries to shy away from its finger. "N-no. I have nothing to offer."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Originally Posted by LadyOfWar

[Dave's Free Clinic]

Wes nods in reply to that as she takes the uniform. Clearly she expected to wear scrubs on the job, but came to work dressed professionally to emphasize that she is a professional, not just some random camo-wearing chick that helps guys who crash their motorcycles in the street.

"I'll go get changed and meet you back here then." she says as she heads off. Clearly she took the opportunity to look around a bit, because she has no trouble finding the employee locker room and is shortly back in her new work clothes.

She looks danged good in scrubs and a lab coat. Not everyone does you know.

Dave's Free Clinic
Dave is another one of those exceptions. Which becomes evident as he tries to grab here and direct her down a hall along with a man on a gurney, who is quite clearly suffering from wounds from a car crash."Surgery room, NOW. This man just crashed his car outside."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Inside Streets]

It can probably smell the fact that she's terrified. And yeah, it is probably more accurate than he. That glamorous man is no doubt just that. A glamor. An illusion. A beguiling of the mind and the senses.

Who knows what sort of horrible monster it is below its false skin.

"A pity," he pouts. "I'm sure we could have had all sorts of fun together. It would have been glorious. I suppose I'll just have to settle for-"

The monster suddenly drops to a low crouch with a hiss, a pair of blue fox-like ears pressed back against his head and four black and blue fox-like tails writhing behind him. "Thrice damned Templar! Here to ruin another meal!"

And with that he scampers on all fours straight up the wall in a distinctly inhuman fashion.

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

The ghost once against begins to crawl out of his remains, shaking and clearly terrified. He asks again, as though he didn't hear the first reply, "I was hiding from the monster. Is it gone?"

"For now," comes a deep base voice as a rather tall man in a black cassock 'n a wide brimmed hat walks into the side-street. He'll head right up to the ghost, kneel down, and pull a large leather pack from his back. One by one he begins to remove tools and sacred objects, setting him out on an unrolled leather sheet.

The ghost doesn't seem to know what to make of the guy.

But it seems to be calming down.

"You've done this lost soul a great service, miss. If not for your persistence he would have been devoured."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

"I'm a Templar, miss. Templar Gregoire. It's the solemn duty of the Templar to protect the people from twisted beings of Discord such as the monster you just met."

And he was certainly a monster all right!

He continues setting out tools and eventually begins to apply a sweet smelling oil to the child's skeleton. All the while the ghost is becoming less pale and more life-like. Though rather translucent.

"It was a Huldra. A creature that seduces and beguiles so that it can devour the soul of its victims. They'll often feed on ghosts if they can find them. I've been hunting that one for several days now. And thus far it has always fled before I can get close enough to strike. I would have come sooner, but I had hoped that it would be distracted with its meal and miss my presence."

Well... at least he was nice enough to show up before the monster actually started eating anyone.

As the last of the preparations are made Templar Gregoire mutters a short prayer and the skeleton is consumed in brilliant flames, not even ash behind. The chain binding the ghost to the corpse melts away even as the ghost begins to fade.

"Thank you mister!" the boy says as he begins to vanish. "And thank you for keeping me company, lady! Goodbye..."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Inside Streets]

Hildur starts to shake all over. That thing... the Huldra... it had touched her. She'd never felt more disgusted in her life. "Thank you for helping him, Gregoire," she manages to say. "I wish I could've done more."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Inside Streets]

The backpack is gathered up and slung over the Templar's shoulder again as he rises to his feet. He's... a pretty big guy. Fairly imposing. And not to mention bad-ass. Probably a prerequisite for the job. Medieval monster-hunters are pretty much always badass.

"You helped him with all you knew. And helped him more than you know," he tips his hat slightly to her with one hand, the other on his pack's strap. "Don't judge yourself too harshly. The Emperor used you to save that lost soul from torment in that monster's gullet. And that is a great honor. Don't look at it as any less."

With that he'll start heading back toward the main street.

"You're unarmed. And unless my spiritual sight is mistaken you aren't blessed with the unusual abilities that many of the Nexus' inhabitants. Though if it is," he pulls his hat down a little further and grins. "It wouldn't be the first time it has happened here. Regardless, these streets are no place for a lady to walk alone."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Morningside

Wow, that's...that's actually a much brighter end to all of this than Magtok expected. And no, I'm not talking about the hug, you stupid jerk, that's not what I mean at all. The hug absolutely inconsequential compared to how quickly things went from bittersweet unhappy ending full of moping and sadness, and hopeful brightness and cheer and shiny futures full of family togetherness and junk. This little wacky life episode thing gets a happy ending, which quite frankly, Magtok didn't suspect was ever going to be possible, let alone a happy ending as bright as this one.

He can't think of anything to say to Missy, so instead, he just allows himself a smile. Just a tiny one, mind you, one which will last just a moment, and only because nobody can see it. Villains of his caliber aren't supposed to smile, just smirk and grin and laugh and sneer at the misfortune of others. Anything else is just way too needlessly silly and saccharine.

"You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Inside Streets]

Hildur manages a smile, and stands up. "No, I'm afraid I'm completely normal." She starts to head out of the alleyway. "If you'd like to accompany me, I won't stop you. I'm just trying to find somewhere to stay, I guess."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

"I believe I can offer both of those services," Gregoire replies. "Or at least I can accompany you to a place I know of that offers lodging. The temple of Inari."

He sets off in that particular direction!

"I don't really approve of their choice of goddess, but the people there are kind enough and offer a bed to road-weary travelers until they can find more permanent lodging."

Well!

Isn't that nice?

"Personally I think staying in the traveler's quarters at the abbey of the Sisters of Silence would be better, but they live some distance outside the city and I assume you're looking for a place to stay here."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Morningside

Missy de-hugs and wipes her eyes. "I know where to bury the heart now," she says.

The church, of course. She still loves her religion, even though she can't live by its laws. Even though it has broken her heart. And to know that her son will be here, singing hymns, learning his lessons.

Saying his prayers.

The little ceremony doesn't take long. Dig a hole. It doesn't have to be big, just deep enough to keep animals from getting at it. Pour the heart in, formaldehyde and all. Refill the hole. The pastor comes out at one point to ask what they were doing. When she says she had just had a transplant and wants to bury her old heart, he accepts this as a perfectly reasonable answer, and doesn't worry at all that this could be some dark magic ritual, or that the heart might have come from a murder victim. He simply blesses the "grave" and wanders back inside.

When they're done, Missy turns to Magtok. "Can you telewarp us somewhere private? The MagCave maybe? I don't feel very steady."

Vacant Lot

Cole... whimpers. It's just one more change, one more weird thing, and he just can't take anymore. Not with that buzzing in his head telling him that things are wrong. The only thing that seems to quiet the buzzing is touching the earth or holding Mori. "Do you know the way out of this city? It's so bad here."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

Fredrick sighs, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm sorry to have upset you, sir. Please pardon me... I... should have known better. I was just as confounded as you are when I arrived."

Probably not much of a comfort.

But it still needs to be said.

"Aside from returning to your own land I can't think of anywhere here that's like your home. It seems the roles of men and women are reversed in many if not most of the cultures here compared to what you're used to."

He glances toward the city gate. "Though... if you just want to be somewhere else I can show you the way, sir."

[Inside Streets]

Templar Gregoire raises an eyebrow at that. "Really now?"

He sounds honestly intrigued by that idea!

"If you feel inclined to stay with the Sisters I suspect they could teach you how to defend yourself in this rather dangerous place," the Templar comments as he walks along toward the city gate.

Wait, nuns teaching someone how to defend themselves?

Yup.

Think monks. No, not like monks in brown robes and stuff. Monks like flying jump-kicks. These aren't your average nuns. These are ninja nuns! TURBO NUNS!

"Or you could simply remain in the guest quarters there. It's a very quiet place. Very... removed from the troubles of the world."

Re: [Nexus] Inside 43

[Walking along the street towards Mallside]

Having stopped a man on the street to ask where the nearest clothing store is, Jake is on his way to the mall, but it will be a little while before arriving there. During which time he can get to know the vine person following him! "So, my name's Jake. Sorry."